T-80U
|firepower =High overall |range =Far |offability =HEAT shell |officon =ABILITY_HEAT |offdesc =Fires a HEAT shell that is powerful against light armor but not very effective against heavy armor. |offrcgtime =30 seconds |defability =Smoke screen |deficon =ABILITY_SMOKE_SCREEN |defdesc =Launches smoke mortars that hide the vehicle from view. |defrcgtime =45 seconds }} The KMDB T-80U "Kobra" (NATO designation SMT1997) is a Soviet heavy tank developed for the Soviet Ground Forces in 1976. It is a land warfare superiority tank with its main competitors being the M1A1 Abrams and the Leopard 2A4. The Soviet Army needed a better tank to complement the T-72, and the T-80 was the result. It was the first production tank to be equipped with a gas turbine engine and advanced target tracking systems. The T-80U is known as the "Kobra" for its effectiveness at killing other tanks. Description The T-80U is the Soviet Union's strongest and most advanced Tank in their arsenal. The T-80U can be seen in less numbers than the T-62A and the PT-76. It is a large threat to other units in the field, combining heavy armor, devastating firepower, and a long firing range. The T-80U is usually used to spearhead large armored assaults and is the core of Tank Guards Units. Armaments and firepower The T-80U's main armament is the 125mm D-81TM "Rapira-3" Smooth Bore Tank Gun that fires standard armor-piercing rounds and specialized High Explosive Anti-Tank rounds or HEAT. The 3BM-46 High Velocity Armor Piercing (HVAP/HVAPFSDS) Round is capable of piercing the toughest tank armor, and can shred light vehicles and infantry. Although capable of killing infantry, the AP rounds are not that effective. Most of the standard HVAP rounds are not fitted with a sabot-casing because a round without a sabot is still capable of achieving the same amount of penetration as a round with a sabot-casing. The 3BK14M HEAT round is highly potent against lightly armored vehicles and tight formations of infantry. The HEAT round is most effective when hitting the rear of light vehicles; it can kill a troop transport in a single shot. But the effectiveness of this round against more heavily armored units (like other tanks) is reduced due to advancements in tank armor. The 12.7mm NSVT Heavy machine gun serves as the T-80Us secondary armament. Though not very effective, it still gets the job done. The NSVT can target and engage aircraft and infantry units. The T-80U is also equipped with sophisticated targeting systems. Thermal Imaging Sights let the T-80U find targets in bad weather conditions, while gyroscopes stabilize the main gun to allow the T-80U to engage targets while moving. Advanced sights help the T-80U to engage targets from extremely long ranges (but it is short in-game compared to real-life). Lastly, the T-80U can be loaded with six 9K119M Refleks (NATO reporting name: AT-11 Sniper) anti-tank guided missiles fired from the main cannon. AT-11 can target low-flying helicopters and other tanks from a great distance, although this ATGM is not available in-game. Protection The T-80U does not only have massive firepower; it also has excellent protection against various attacks. The T-80U is a tough unit to kill, and its survivability on the battlefield is high. The T-80U is equipped with advanced Kontakt-5 Explosive Reactive Armor. The Kontakt-5 is made especially to defeat, if not to reduce the damage done, by modern armor piercing rounds. The Kontakt-5 is also effective at stopping HEAT rounds fired from tank guns, making the round useless if it hits the tanks frontal arc. The ERA on the T-80U explodes on impact of a round, setting off the metal fragments from the ERA, which effectively reduces the damage done by tank rounds and ATGMs. If a round ever penetrates through the Kontakt-5 ERA, the round still has to defeat the T-80Us main armor. The T-80Us main armor is thicker than the ERA, which can also lessen the damage done by most anti-tank rounds. However the T-80U needs constant protection from ATGMs; 2 Helicopters are incapable of fully destroying a T-80U, but four or more gunships can tear it apart. Mobility The T-80U is fairly mobile for its combat weight of 50 tons. The T-80U is equipped with a powerful turbine engine; it wasted a lot of fuel but the Soviet Army had more than enough fuel for at least 8 years of constant fighting. The T-80U is fast enough to partake in flanking maneuvers and in large scale Operational Maneuver Group (OMG) attacks. How the T-80U is slow compared to other units; it isn't fast enough to intercept a fast attack by light tanks. Gameplay The T-80U is no doubt a strong Heavy Tank that can take out other tanks with ease. That goes the same for uncovered infantry, as it will take only a few rounds from its cannon to kill a squad, or the T-80 could just roll over them. As with its other Heavy Tank counterparts, the T-80 is very good for assaulting and defending command points. Given a chance, it can also take out helicopters with its Machine gun. Its slow speed is still a disadvantage. The T-80 is also fairly good in urban warfare, but it excels in open area combat, given its long range. The T-80U's HEAT round is also highly potent against lightly armored vehicles like Anti-Aircraft vehicles. This allows friendly Hinds and Havocs to quickly dispatch any unit when the AA is gone. The T-80U, just like in real life, is most effective if supported by Mobile Anti-Aircraft Units. A combined attack of T-80U Heavy Tanks together with Heavy Anti-Aircraft Vehicles is difficult to stop. Service history The T-80U was extensively used in World War III as the Soviet Union's main answer to contemporary western tanks. Its initial combat record lies within its predecessor, the T-80BV. Though not very successful, lessons were learned from the Invasion of Afghanistan, and tank designers made a better variant, the T-80U. European theater Before the invasion of the United States, the T-80Us were used in the Soviet Assault of western Europe, mostly countries part of NATO. A small number of T-80Us took part in the invasion of the Norwegian Coast to destroy the Anti-Aircraft Emplacements to allow a safe passage for Soviet Strategic Bombers. After an intense tank battle between NATO Norwegians and Soviet Landing Forces at the start of the invasion, Orlovsky gave Lt. Romanov access to the little number of Heavy Armor they had in the area to make sure the destruction of the AA Emplacements was quick and quiet. The T-80Us destroyed a large number of Chieftain Mk.5s and NATO light vehicles in the operation. The T-80U took part in the invasion of West Germany. The tanks gathered at the Brandenburg Gate, and after the successful infiltration of the Spetsnaz Alfa, the T-80Us prepared to assault the NATO forces on the west side of the Berlin Wall. The NATO and US tanks on the other side of the wall were no match for the superior capabilities of the T-80U. The Soviets enjoyed armored superiority in the battle, as the T-80U was already a good tank, and having a very large number of them was an added advantage. There the M1A1 met its match in the Soviet tank. Both were in equal numbers, but the T-80U ultimately crushed its rival at the end of the battle. A division sized US counterattack once again failed to retake their lost ground and was crushed from the combined-arms elements of the Soviet forces there. T-80Us were also seen being airdropped over Europe in the opening stages of the war. Fortunately for a Spetsnaz Alfa team who were trapped by NATO units, a T-80U landed at their location, opening fire at NATO units and providing cover for the Spetsnaz team there. A number of T-80Us have also been seen at France in the European Theater. The French Riviera was occupied by a large number of T-80Us. American Theater A large number of T-80Us were seen at the Seattle Docking Area, together with ZSU-23-4 Shilkas Medium AA Vehicles. Several Scout Choppers were sent to recon the area, where they found these vehicles, but they were shot down before they could escape. The Soviet Union was probably still making preparations for the T-80Us on the Docking Area. After the preparations were completed on the T-80Us, they were sent to destroy all defending US forces in Seattle. Fortunately for Bannon's company, they were able to escape them. But other uncoordinated defending US Infantry and Armored Forces were less lucky; they were unable to rally up with each other, and were killed or captured in the onslaught. A large amount of US tanks, infantry, and vehicles were destroyed by the T-80Us, effectively crippling the chances of an immediate US counterattack. A few T-80Us took part in the pursuit of the retreating US forces at the I-90 Bridge. Roughly two T-80Us were used in the battle, both of which were able to reach the other side of the bridge while destroying a handful of US armored vehicles before being killed in a counter-attack by Bannon's Armored Company. They were also used trying to claim Pine Valley from the US combatants. A group was also seen trying to overrun Parker's position at the path towards Cascade Falls. T-80Us were also used trying to take Cascade Falls, but ended up being destroyed by the Tactical Nuclear Strike. These tanks also served as the last line of defense for the Soviets in Seattle. They were headed by the Soviet Officer, Captain Malashenko. The T-80Us in his division were some of the best, although they were defeated by larger group of American forces. Unit statistics and capabilities Special Abilities Offensive: HEAT Round - 30 Second Recharge Loads up a High Explosive Anti-Tank Round that's powerful against light tanks and vehicles, as well as heavy tanks; given that it hits the rear. Defensive: Smoke Screen - 45 Second Recharge Fires Smoke grenades that hide the vehicle from the view of enemy units.'The units, armor' 2007, in World in Conflict Manual, Sierra, pp. 18. Gallery T-80U_WIC.jpg|Render References See also * *M1A1 Abrams - American heavy tank *Leopard 2A4 - NATO heavy tank Category:Soviet armor units Category:Heavy tanks